Page 10 of Greek Island Fling to Forever

Jonas perked up immediately. ‘Yes, Dad!’

‘Okay. The harbour it is, then.’

She seemed so keen for Jonas to like Ilaria, and for him to like her too. Arianna produced chilled drinks from the straw shopping bag she carried, smiling when Jonas accepted one from her. He’d get over his reticence soon, and then... What was not to like about Ilaria? What wasn’t to love about Arianna...?

He amended the thought quickly. The ‘L-word’ shouldn’t intrude into this equation. What wasn’t to like about Arianna...?

By the time they reached the car, Jonas had been introduced to the men working on their boats in the harbour, and had even been allowed on one. The boy was shining with enthusiasm now, and when Arianna opened the back door of the small SUV he climbed in without a backward look at his father, getting into the child seat and waiting for Ben to strap him in.

It was only ten minutes’ drive to the house, which stood in an isolated spot outside the town. When Arianna opened the front door, beckoning them inside, the interior was cool and quiet.

Inside, white-painted walls and irregular exposed stonework were given a modern feel by elegant wooden furniture and pale fabrics. At the back, shutters protected the space from the heat of the midday sun, and when Arianna opened them he saw French windows leading out onto a large patio, edged with flowering plants and shaded by a canopy draped with a vine. Beyond that, a sheltered beach and the blue of the sea.

‘You have a lovely home.’

‘Thank you. Shall we go outside?’

‘Yes!’ Jonas answered before Ben could, and Arianna smiled.

‘Okay. I’ll get some drinks and then you can play on the beach.’ She turned to Ben. ‘The bathroom’s through there if you need it.’

‘Thanks. I think Jonas could do with another application of sunscreen.’ He pulled the bottle out of the bag he carried, along with Jonas’s beach shoes.

The bathroom was white-tiled and shining. Ben stripped off Jonas’s T-shirt, applying the sunscreen carefully while the boy wriggled impatiently.

He really shouldn’t be noticing that only one toothbrush sat in the glass by the sink. Or imagining what it might look like with two, or three, sitting there. He wasn’t looking for a relationship with anyone and, despite the instant attraction that would normally have rendered a love affair between two people practically inevitable, it was unthinkable. Guilt was a heavy burden to carry and it didn’t leave much room for anyone other than Jonas in his life.

He found Arianna in the kitchen, adding sliced lemons and mint leaves to a jug of lemonade. She’d taken off her sandals, and Ben tried not to notice the natural grace of her movements, or the way the skirts of her dress moved around her bare legs.

‘I’ll let you choose a drink for Jonas from the fridge. There’s a bottle of ouzo in there as well, if you fancy a dash to flavour the lemonade.’

‘Thanks. That sounds good.’ This felt like a dream. Ben hadn’t allowed himself to have any expectations beyond his initial meeting with Arianna, and he wasn’t sure what to say or do. Arianna seemed on edge as well.

She tipped slightly more than a dash into the pitcher, ice clanking as she mixed its contents thoroughly. Ben took a bottle of orange-flavoured water from the fridge and opened it, and Arianna leaned over, popping a bendy straw into the top of it. She opened a box of sesame and honey snacks and frowned.

‘Will Jonas like these?’

‘Try him.’ When Arianna hesitated, Ben took two of the snacks from the box, giving one to Jonas and popping the other into his own mouth. ‘Mmm... They’re good...’

As he expected, Jonas followed suit and nodded his agreement. Arianna tipped the whole box into a bowl and added it to the tray that the pitcher stood on, then opened the fridge and took out two covered dishes.

‘I’ll put these into the oven to warm. I thought something light for now, and I’ll cook later...’

‘Don’t go to any trouble for us, please.’

Arianna laughed suddenly and the tension between them broke, smashing into little pieces on the tiled floor.

‘You’re on a Greek island. You think you can sit down at my table without being fed?’

The warmth was back now, chasing away all the awkwardness. ‘I wouldn’t presume to do any such thing.’

‘Good. Just as well.’

She switched the oven on, opening the kitchen door so that Ben could carry the tray out onto the patio. It was beautiful here, the breeze carrying the scent of flowers along with the tang of the sea. Sand stretched from the back of the house down to the shoreline, with raised ground and rocks on either side forming a small secluded beach. Ben took Jonas’s hat from his pocket, putting it onto his son’s head.

‘Can I make sandcastles, Dad?’ Jonas looked up at him pleadingly.

‘Okay. As long as you stay where I can see you.’

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